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Just need to throw my 2 cents in here and
tell you that NOMEX would not help in this case, it simply will not sustain
combustion by itself. It was the fuel that burned your friend, not likely the
clothing. NOMEX would have done nothing in this case except possibly provide a
second or third layer of clothing which is very beneficial. I’m not
saying it’s not a good idea to wear it, just that it’s not going to
put out a gasoline soaked pilot.
My sincere sympathy for your friend,
Tim Andres
From: Rotary motors in
aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On
Behalf Of Russell Duffy
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005
6:47 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] NOMEX- Wear
it!!!
An airport friend of mine crashing his new biplane
(Easy Eagle, VW powered) on it's maiden flight at my airport this
afternoon. He just got he airworthiness certificate today, and when
the weather cleared, he made the first (and last) flight. Thankfully,
I was too busy getting pages from work to go out to
watch.
He managed to take off in about the first third of the
runway, but then was barely climbing. Rather than set the plane back
down, he tried to go around the pattern, but barely made 200 feet of
altitude. He made two turns, and was heading downwind, but when he tried
to turn toward the airport, he lost enough lift that he sank into the trees
between a couple houses. The fuel tank split open on impact, and covered
him, and the plane with fuel, which then ignited. Amazingly, he got
himself out, and walked away from the plane, though still on fire, and somewhat
in shock. The first people on the scene ushered him into a large mud
puddle that he was standing right next to, and got the fire out. He
was taken to the USA burn
center in Mobile
by Life Flight, and the news reported severe burns to more than 50% of his
body.
Suddenly, I don't feel so foolish for wearing a Nomex suit
for my real test flights (first flights, and anytime I change anything
significant). I'm getting tired of hearing about friends crashing,
and so is my wife...
The lesson here is two fold- if it ain't right, put it back
down when you still have 2/3 of the runway remaining. Part two is wear
protective clothing. This guy walked away from the crash itself, but the
burns will ruin his life, if he lives at all. If we're going to be
test pilots, we need to take every precaution that test pilots take, and plan
for the unexpected. This guy was a good pilot, and flight
instructor, but didn't take enough precautions.
Sorry to rant, or preach, but I've watched him scratch build
this plane over the past couple years. He was always there, and
always working on it. I'm just sick about the whole thing...
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